Undercurrents

by Traci Hunter Abramson

  Shaye organized her clothes before getting into the shower, and after relaxing under the hot water, she changed back into the jeans and sweatshirt she had been wearing the day her car exploded. She towel dried her hair, ignoring the slight chlorine smell that lingered.

  After repacking her backpack, Shaye went to the kitchen, leaving her personal items in the bathroom. She opened the freezer, mumbling a prayer of thanks when she found a bag of ice. With some saran wrap she found in the cabinet, she made herself a cold pack. Sitting on the kitchen floor, she gently placed the ice on her ankle.

  Her heart jumped into her throat when she heard a door open. She prepared to flee when two elders walked through the kitchen door. Relief flooded her as she stared up at the two men.

  “Are you okay?” the taller elder asked, motioning to her foot.

  “I think I sprained my ankle,” Shaye told him, her mind racing. She wasn’t sure what she would tell them if they asked why she was there.

  “Is there anything we can do?” the other elder asked, setting his backpack down.

  Shaye stared up at them, and suddenly everything became clear. Who else could she trust so implicitly?

  “Actually, I think there is something you can do.” Shaye managed to stand up, and she motioned for them to follow her into the hall. As they approached the phone hanging on the wall, Shaye explained what she wanted them to do.

  “You want us to call this guy and tell him about a membership record?” Elder Webber, the shorter of the two, looked at Shaye skeptically after she was done.

  Shaye nodded. “I can’t give you details except to tell you that you might be saving my life.”

  The taller missionary, Elder Johannsen, shrugged. “Sure, I guess that’s probably all right.”

  Shaye laughed and handed him the phone, then listened intently to his side of the conversation after he dialed.

  “Matt Whitmore? I’m calling from the Langley Ward. I just wanted to let you know that I found that membership record you were looking for . . .” Elder Johannsen nodded and smiled at his companion. “That’s right. I’ll leave it in the clerk’s office for you.”

  After he hung up, Shaye asked eagerly, “Do you think he

  understood?”

  “More than I did.” Elder Johannsen grinned at her. “He sounded awfully excited about the news.”

  “Is there anything else we can do?” Elder Webber asked.

  Shaye nodded. “I sure could use a blessing.”

  The elders looked at each other and then smiled at her. “We can definitely help you with that.”

  Following the elders into a classroom, Shaye sat in the chair they offered her. They put their hands on her head, and Shaye could feel the Spirit in the room. Elder Webber blessed her that her ankle would heal quickly. He hesitated and then began to speak about her safety. He told her the Spirit would be with her, guiding her to safety. He blessed her with the power of discernment, that she would know good from evil. He also told her that the Lord knew of the innermost desires of her heart, and that through her faithfulness they would be placed within her reach.

  After he finished the blessing, they all remained quiet for a moment. Shaye finally stood and shook hands with both of them. Just then, a car pulled up in the parking lot.

  “That’s just our dinner appointment,” Elder Johannsen told her.

  “Are you sure you’ll be okay?”

  Shaye nodded. “Thanks for your help.”

  * * *

  Matt fumbled with the phone before he managed to set it back in its cradle. “I know where she is.”

  “What?” Doug crossed the room quickly as Matt turned to face him.

  Matt looked at Doug and then turned to his father. “I just got a call from someone in the ward. He said he had found the membership record I was looking for.”

  “What membership record?” Doug asked.

  “I tried requesting Shaye’s Church records a few weeks ago, and Church headquarters had never heard of her. I confronted Shaye about it after we broke up.” Matt headed for the door. “She must be at the church.”

  Doug grabbed his jacket and motioned to Matt. “I’ll follow you.”

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Shaye was halfway to the bathroom to retrieve her things when a man appeared in front of her. At first she thought one of the elders had forgotten something, but then the man stepped into the light. He was older and wore a conservative gray suit.

  “Bishop?” Shaye asked, hesitating as he approached.

  “Looks like you could use some help.” The man’s gaze swept down to her ankle as he closed the distance between them.

  “It’s nothing that a little ice and an ace bandage can’t fix.” The comfort the elders’ presence had offered was gone. “I didn’t think there were activities here tonight.”

  “I just came by to work on my sermon for Sunday,” he said.

  Shaye’s heart raced. This man in front of her was obviously not Mormon, and Matt might arrive any minute. “Would you excuse me? I really need to use the restroom.”

  “Oh, of course.” He watched Shaye retreat down the hall, stepping closer as she opened the restroom door.

  Ignoring the pain, Shaye pulled her shoes on, stuffing her socks into her coat pockets. She slipped into her coat and grabbed her backpack. “Please, please let it be unlocked.” She tried the door to the font room, astonished that the doorknob turned. She passed through the baptismal font, and up the stairs on the other side, opening the door to the men’s restroom. Quietly, she passed through it and crossed the hall to the Primary room. After making sure that no one was visible outside, she exited the building and fled into the nearby trees.

  “Now what?” Shaye muttered to herself as she walked through someone’s yard onto the sidewalk. There in front of her was a bus sign that read Fairfax Connector. Two women stood by it, obviously waiting for a bus.

  Shouts erupted from the church building just as a bus pulled up to the curb. Shaye dug out the correct change and took a seat near the back of the bus. As she passed the church, Shaye could see another man in the parking lot talking on his cell phone.

  * * *

  Matt waited anxiously as the bus pulled back into traffic. He was so close. In just a few more minutes, he would see her and know for sure that she was okay. As he pulled into the church parking lot, Doug sped past him, screeching to a halt near a car already parked by the church.

  The next few seconds passed in slow motion as Doug drew his weapon, pointing it at a man standing near the church entrance. The man lifted his arms in surrender, but a second man raced toward the trees.

  In an instant, Matt was out of his car chasing him into the woods. He never considered that the man might be armed, only that Shaye was in danger. They ran through some trees before breaking into a clearing. Just as Matt closed the distance, one of Doug’s search parties broke through the trees on the other side of the clearing.

  The man tried to change direction, but Matt tackled him from behind, forcing him to the ground. Instantly, Doug’s men had their guns drawn and took him into custody.

  Matt was still breathing hard when Doug rushed through the trees. “What did you think you were doing?”

  “Catching him,” Matt panted.

  Doug shook his head. “Next time, it’s my turn.”

  “Did you find Shaye?” Matt asked, turning back toward the church.

  Doug kept pace as they approached the parking lot. “One of the doors was forced open. You can help us search the building.”

  Methodically, they went from room to room, finding nothing out of place. Only when Doug came out of the women’s restroom did they find any sign of Shaye’s presence.

  “Someone used the shower recently.”

  “That must have been her.” Matt followed Doug back into the restroom. “Only church members would even realize the showers are here.”

  “Maybe she saw these guys drive up and took off. This building has so many doors, she could
have easily slipped out the far side without them ever seeing her.”

  Matt nodded in agreement and led the way back into the hallway.

  One of Doug’s men approached them. “Well, neither of these guys is talking. One of them is trying to convince us that he is some sort of bishop.”

  “I doubt it, but that should be easy to check,” Matt told him.

  The man nodded. “I just want him to stop ranting about the sermon he’s supposed to be preparing.”

  “He doesn’t belong to this church,” Matt stated confidently.

  “Are you sure?” Doug asked.

  Nodding, Matt explained, “We don’t really have preachers. Our bishop or his counselors conduct the meeting, but members of the congregation take turns speaking, and they give talks, not sermons. It’s a pretty safe bet he’s not a member of our church.”

  Doug led the way outside, where men with dogs searched the area. “If they were parked over here, she probably went out that side of the building. Have the dogs start from the doors over there.”

  The agents followed Doug’s instructions, and soon the dogs were following multiple trails leading from the building. Finally, they found fresh footprints leading into some trees, but the excitement quickly waned when they hit the pavement of the sidewalk.

  Matt and Doug followed after them, looking down the street for any sign of Shaye.

  “Where would she have gone?” Doug asked, more to himself than anyone else.

  Matt shook his head in frustration before he glanced up at the Fairfax Connector sign. “The bus.”

  “What?”

  “When we pulled in, a bus was just pulling out. Maybe she was on it,” Matt suggested, cutting back through the trees to the church. He was already to his car before Doug caught up with him.

  “Where are you going?”

  “The subway station. All of these buses end up there eventually.”

  Doug nodded in agreement before turning to bark out orders to the other agents. He didn’t have time to stop Matt from driving off and only hoped that having a civilian along wouldn’t complicate matters.

  The Vienna subway station was busy as rush-hour commuters crowded off the train. Matt had yet to see Doug or any of the other agents, and he was already searching the train platform for Shaye. If he had already missed her, he didn’t know where to look next.

  After no success on the train platform, Matt turned his attention to the escalators. Streams of people were leaving the station to make their way home, and only occasionally would anyone come down the stairs toward the trains.

  When Shaye appeared on the escalator, Matt let out a sigh of relief. Doug and two agents stepped off the elevator as Shaye reached the platform.

  As Matt rushed toward Shaye, he knocked into someone who had stepped out in front of him. The glint of steel barely registered, but the gunshot got everyone’s attention.

  The bullet had gone into the ground, accidentally discharged from the collision with Matt. Instinctively, Matt reached for the gun before the man could raise it to shoot. The two men battled for control of the weapon as agents surrounded Shaye.

  “Matt!” Shaye’s screams echoed as the few remaining passengers scrambled for cover.

  A second shot sounded, and Matt fell to the ground. Seconds later, his assailant was lying beside him.

  Doug was barely able to hold Shaye back until her would-be assassin was disarmed and handcuffed. One of the agents was already pressing his jacket against Matt’s leg to control the bleeding. Shaye knelt by his side, helping support his back as he tried to sit up.

  Matt grimaced as more pressure was applied to the wound. He forced a smile and said, “I hope you weren’t running away from me.”

  “What were you thinking?” Shaye slid her arms around him, relieved that he didn’t appear to be in mortal danger.

  “He was going to shoot you.” Matt stroked her hair. “I couldn’t just stand there.”

  “So he shot you instead.” Shaye looked over at the ambulance attendants approaching with a stretcher.

  “I’ll be fine,” Matt managed to say. He looked up at her, his eyes pleading. “Stay with me?”

  Shaye kissed his cheek, breathing in the scent of his cologne. Her voice was barely a whisper when she told him what he had waited to hear. “I love you.”

  Their eyes met as Shaye was pulled aside. Before Matt was even loaded into the ambulance, she was gone.

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Matt leaned on his cane, frowning as he stepped into the falling snow. The last thing he wanted was to go on a ski vacation when he couldn’t even ski, but his parents hadn’t given him the option.

  The Secret Service agents who accompanied them on their trip were a constant reminder of Chris Rush and the threat he represented. Though the information found at his house and office had helped bring down a large portion of his organization, Rush was still at large, and for that reason, Matt knew Shaye was gone from his life forever.

  “Come on, Matt.” Charlie slapped him on the back. “You have to help me enjoy my last month of freedom before I leave for my mission.”

  Matt nodded, but his gaze stayed on the bed-and-breakfast in front of him. The porch stretched the entire width of the grand Victorian home, and lights flooded through the windows. “Why aren’t we staying at the resort?”

  “I don’t know.” Charlie lifted a suitcase and trudged through the snow toward the front door.

  Amy followed, turning back to her parents. “I still say we should have gone to Aspen.”

  “Come on, son.” Jim slung his arm around Matt. “I promise this will be a Christmas you’ll always remember.”

  “It’s already one I’m trying to forget,” Matt mumbled. He still couldn’t believe that Shaye was gone. He had willingly taken a bullet for her, but he had not even been allowed to say good-bye. He knew he would never feel this way about anyone else, and he couldn’t imagine spending the rest of his life trying to forget her.

  He knew that the news reports of her death were fabricated, but that didn’t make seeing them any less painful. Shaye’s picture was the only thing missing from the article on the front page of the Metro section of the Washington Post. The tragedy of the college student gunned down at the Vienna subway station even made the highlights of several evening newscasts.

  Matt struggled up the front steps behind his family, his leg still sore from where the bullet had grazed his calf. His father held the door for him as he passed into the cozy house. A fire blazed in the living room, and the scent of apple cider drifted toward him.

  Doug’s presence barely registered as Matt looked up the stairs and saw her. His heart skipped a beat, and he took a step forward. “Shaye!”

  Wordlessly, she rushed into his arms.

  “What are you doing here?” Matt asked, enveloping her in a hug. He looked from his parents to Doug. “I thought . . .”

  “Merry Christmas.” Doug grinned at them. He motioned to the rest of Matt’s family. “Come on. We’ll get you settled in.”

  The second they were alone, Matt’s lips found Shaye’s. When they parted, Matt traced Shaye’s cheek with his fingers as though he were memorizing her face. “I didn’t think I would ever see you again.”

  “I know.” Shaye lifted a hand to his cheek. “I’m sorry I couldn’t go with you to the hospital. Doug said he couldn’t risk keeping me in town.”

  “It’s okay.” Matt leaned forward, touching his forehead to hers. “But I don’t know if I can let you go again.”

  “I love you.” She reached up to kiss him again.

  “Okay, you two.” Charlie’s voice was filled with mischief. “Break it up.”

  They looked up to see Matt’s family making their way back down the stairs.

  “Matt, you’re dripping all over the floor,” Katherine scolded, eyeing the puddles where snow was dripping off his jacket.

  “Why don’t we all sit down,” Doug suggested as he crossed into the living room.

 
Matt shook off his coat, and Shaye helped him to the couch where they could sit by the fire.

  “Where does your investigation stand?” Jim asked, voicing everyone’s question.

  “You’ll all be happy to know that Rush has been apprehended. We caught him trying to leave the country this morning,” Doug told them.

  “What does that mean for Shaye?” Matt asked, tightening his arm around her.

  “Until Rush goes to trial, she needs to stay in protective custody. Even though we have a lot of evidence against him, without Shaye’s testimony, he could walk,” Doug explained.

  “But we all know he’s guilty,” Amy pointed out.

  “Yes, but had Shaye not pointed a finger at him, we never would have known to get a search warrant. Rush spent the past twenty years working in the legal system. Without her testimony, he can argue that the search was unlawful and we wouldn’t have any solid evidence against him.”

  “So you think he’ll send someone after her again?” Katherine paced across the room.

  “They have to find her first,” Doug pointed out. “But once he’s convicted, we’re optimistic that Shaye can make a new life

  for herself.”

  “How long will that take?” Matt asked.

  “The Bureau plans to push this trial through as quickly as we can,” Doug told him. “If all goes well, Shaye will be able to consider her options within six months to a year.”

  “I can’t lose her again,” Matt stated simply, his eyes remaining on Doug.

  “Under the circumstances, I think it would be best to limit your contact until Shaye is out of protective custody.” Doug’s voice sounded sympathetic. “I understand your feelings for each other, but Rush’s men will be watching you, hoping you will lead them to Shaye.” He hesitated, glancing over at Jim before speaking to Matt again. “Unfortunately, you’re well-known enough that we can’t

  guarantee you wouldn’t be recognized if you tried to go into

  protective custody with her.”

  Matt looked down at Shaye and then back at Doug. “I’ll do whatever it takes to keep her safe. Just understand that I plan to be part of her life when all of this is over.”